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DCHS baseball hosts youth camp

The Dawson County High School baseball team held a camp on Saturday to teach kids aged 7 to 13 baseball fundamentals. The campers participated in the same drills that the high school players do every year.
- photo by Mary Carson Flores

Mary Carson Flores

editor@dawsonnews.com

Updated:
Feb. 7, 2018, 10:52 a.m.

As many of the winter high school sports begin to wind
down, the Dawson County High School boys baseball team is preparing to take
center stage. With a loaded schedule ahead, the players have high expectations
for the 2018 season.

"Our goal every year is to win a regional or state championship,”
said Head Coach Dwayne Sapp.

Despite having three returning seniors with three years
of starting experience, many new players without Varsity experience are joining
the Tigers' ranks. While the raw talent is there, given the competitiveness of
the high school leagues, experience counts.

The young Tigers
will need to rely on the returning seniors for
leadership.

In an effort to prepare for the season, beginning with an
upcoming away game against Riverwood on Feb. 8, the Tigers have been emphasizing
fundamentals during practice. Sapp said that the easiest way to lose a game is
to beat yourself with mistakes.

While the old adage remains true that perfect practice
makes perfect, the Tigers will only be able to combat their biggest weakness, a
lack of experience, by playing good teams under pressure.

Given the very rigorous and busy schedule ahead of them, the
Tigers are sure to gain the necessary experience they seek. As Dawson County
has proved to be a formidable opponent in recent years, finding legitimate
programs with the guts to take on the Tigers has become a scheduling challenge.

As a result, this year the Tigers schedule will feature a
wide range of opponents, including former state champions and 7-A schools. The
Tigers certainly hope that the strength of their schedule will end up serving them
well in regional and state level play.

Next week, Dawson will begin facing some of its non-regional opponents on the road. On Feb. 13, Dawson will travel to play
Athens Christian, and on Feb. 17, the Tigers will travel to Brunswick to play
Savannah Christian.

In addition to holding their regular practice last week,
the Tigers hosted a baseball camp for youth in the community.

The camp was coached by the high school players and focused
on teaching the youngsters fundamentals. Camp took place at the high school on
Feb. 3, but will be offered again from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Feb. 10.